(Credit: Will Greenwald)
Your Apple Vision Pro can show video in 3D, but you've only been shooting in 2D. It's time to fix that. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can shoot 3D video, which Apple calls spatial video, and watch it on your Vision Pro. Those two high-end iPhones are the only current models that support shooting spatial video, but if you have one, making your own 3D videos is surprisingly simple.
If you don't have the right iPhone, you'll still be able to see your regular 2D photos in semi-3D on your Vision Pro in the future. At WWDC 2024, Apple announced that the upcoming visionOS 2 will use AI processing to convert your standard photos into spatial photos. We'll explore how to do that when the feature rolls out.
How to Shoot Spatial Video With the iPhone 15 Pro
You can't watch spatial video if you haven't shot any. So take your iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max out and follow these steps. It's as easy as shooting non-spatial video.
(Credit: PCMag)How to Move Spatial Video to the Vision Pro
Spatial video isn't very spatial on your iPhone's 2D screen, so you'll want to transfer the files to your Vision Pro. There are two ways to do this, and they're both pretty simple.
Over iCloud
Like regular photos and videos, the spatial video you shoot on your iPhone will be synced to your iCloud storage if you have space for it, so once your two devices are synced, you'll be able to access your spatial videos on your Vision Pro.
Over AirDrop
You can also send your photos and videos from your iPhone to the Vision Pro using AirDrop. This is just like using AirDrop between any other compatible Apple devices: Select the videos you want to transfer on your iPhone, tap the Share button, and select AirDrop. The Vision Pro should show up in your list of nearby devices.
How to Watch Spatial Video on the Vision Pro
Now that your spatial videos are on Vision Pro, you can watch them. It's as easy as shooting them.
(Credit: Will Greenwald)
(Credit: Will Greenwald)The Limitations of Spatial Video
The Vision Pro is loaded with apps, and in almost all cases, they're more advanced than the spatial video you shoot on your iPhone. Immersive video on the Vision Pro's Apple TV app is 180-degree 8K video, and spatial processing defines the device's entire platform. That makes playing spatial video in immersive mode on your Vision Pro pretty confusing.
You should keep some details in mind when shooting and watching spatial video. Primarily, remember that while it's 3D, it isn't VR, or even 180 degrees. It's shot with two forward-facing fixed cameras to create a stereoscopic image. It's 1080p video shot in 3D, so you aren't going to get a view that completely surrounds you and lets you look around like you can with 180- or 360-degree cameras and the standard augmented reality perspective of the Vision Pro. Even in immersive mode, you'll be watching fixed video in front of your face, with blurry edges that vanish if you look in another direction to see your real-life surroundings or chosen virtual environment.
Speaking of which, you should probably avoid using immersive mode if you're prone to motion sickness. The perspective stays fixed regardless of how you move your head or how you moved the camera when you shot the video, and this can be very disorienting. I've used a lot of VR and mixed reality devices and seldom get motion sickness, but some spatial videos on the Vision Pro have made me nauseous.
Mixed Reality Beyond Apple
The Apple Vision Pro isn't the only mixed reality headset in town. If you aren't committed to using Apple for your immersive experiences and want to spend less money, our lists of the best VR headsets and the best smart glasses offer a wide range of alternatives.